Sandra Orlovic

1) Providing technical backstopping for projects related to transitional justice (TJ) and housing, land and property (HLP) to COs and ROs and ensuring coherent and coordinated responses which are in alignment with overall strategy and policies of the Organization, DHRR and PRSD;

2) Identifying emerging spaces for TJ and HLP workstreams and provide analysis of the possible impacts of interventions and engagement, including risks, ‘do no harm’ and conflict-sensitivity assessments;

3) Identifying opportunities for the integration of TJ approaches with other relevant peacebuilding, durable solutions and development interventions and building on the achievements and resources built during crisis response stage;

4) Provision of technical capacity building to COs for the development and effective implementation of TJ programming, based on the TJ and HLP normative frameworks and guiding principles;

5) Reviewing concept notes, project proposals and donor reports with TJ and HLP components and participating actively in the preparation of annual activity plans and reports relating to TJ, including contributing to strategic planning exercises;

6) Development of guiding tools, technical notes, and manuals on the organization's overall approaches, operational principles, and lessons learned in TJ programming at the global and country levels.

Achievements

i) I have developed the IOM Guidance Note for TJ Programming, the first organizational technical framework for guiding IOM missions in planning, designing, and implementing TJ activities, including integration with other IOM programming interventions. (The Guidance Note is endorsed at the DHRR level; EO endorsement is pending.)

ii) I have identified an organizational and program gap, and launched an internal initiative to advance IOM's structural support for diaspora engagement in national TJ processes, in collaboration with the Department of Mobility, Pathways, and Inclusion.

iii) I provided substantive technical contributions to over a dozen of IOM country offices in planning, consolidating and implementing TJ and HLP related programing (Liberia, Syria, DRC, Iraq, Ethiopia, Ukraine, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Lake Chad Basin).

1) Managed IOM Iraq Transitional Justice Program (TJ Program), aimed at advancing conditions and capacities of national authorities, civil society and grass-root community actors for effective engagement in TJ initiatives;

2) Led the development of project proposals and budgets for TJ programming, in line with donor and organizational requirements, and ensuring TJ is well integrated in the wider Peacebuilding and Stabilization portfolio, through promoting synergies across peacebuilding, durable solutions and TJ interventions;

3) Developed strategic documents and annual workplans and ensured alignment of IOM Iraq TJ program with core organizational principles and approaches including community participation, localization, do no harm and gender equality;

4) Regularly liaised with the institutions, UN agencies, international government and non-governmental organizations and national civil society actors relevant for TJ process in Iraq, and conducted briefings to donor community;

5) Budget forecasting and proactively addressing challenges in project implementation stemming from volatile political and security context;

6) Represented IOM Iraq in UN coordination platforms and working groups, including UN Working Group on National Dialogue and Reconciliation and UN-Government Taskforce on Accountability and Victims' Assistance;

7) Designed and conducted trainings for government officials, civil society actors and victims groups; developed context-specific methodology and questionnaires for community consultations and FGDs and producing internal and external briefs on TJ related developments.

Achievements

i) Successfully led IOM engagement in the development and implementation of the YSL, which directly contributed to registration and financial reparation distribution to over 2000 survivors of CRSV and forced recruitment in record time, establishment of the Referral System for MHPSS services for YSL beneficiaries and facilitating meaningful participation of survivors living in diaspora into implementation of the YSL.

ii) I guided the expansion IOM Iraq TJ program, positioning IOM as a lead UN agency for supporting national TJ process in Iraq, with the budget increase of 400% over four years through mobilizing funds from variety of donors and multi-partner funding mechanisms and partnerships with other UN agencies and entities.

iii) Successfully facilitated design and fundraising for integrated programming models between TJ, legal, community based planning, economic empowerment, MHPSS and Protection areas of work.

1) Conducted legal and technical analysis of national policies relevant for transitional justice, HLP and reparations;
2) Initiated and maintained partnerships with representatives of key institutions, CSOs, survivors’ representatives and international organizations in Iraq, pertinent to design and implementation of policies for redressing CRSV survivors in Iraq;
3) Conducted needs assessment for capacity building of relevant institutions and civil society actors in Iraq, Sri Lanka and other relevant countries on TJ and reparations, develop training material and conducted trainings;
5) Supported the LPR Global Focal Point with research, contextual analysis, policy development, project development and fundraising.

1) Created a data set of all administrative registries on services delivered to the general population or victims by the government and conducted assessment of their technical parameters, quality and scope;
2) Analyzed scope and pathways of citizens’ access to public services and formulated recommendations for improving service providers responsiveness and accessibility for war victims within future reparation program;
3) Prepared the final report with recommendations on parameters for information management system and principles and elements of internal protocols for the future process of verification of victims’ claims for reparations.

Achievement

The final report was used by the newly established Office for Reparations in Sri Lanka as a foundation for setting-up information management system and protocols. This further solidified IOM's position in providing further technical support the Office for Reparations in this domain.

As member of a fact-finding mission commissioned by US State Department, I conducted a field investigation on atrocities committed against members of Rohingya community by Myanmar armed forces during 2017. The investigation was conducted in Kutupalong Refugee Camp in Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh) and it included interviewing survivors and witnesses of atrocities in Rakhine state in Myanmar. After concluding field investigation, my task was to produce analytical report with findings on types and patterns of violence and key victims’ needs and vulnerability issues.

1) Programmatic, administrative, and financial oversight of the organization, ensuring effective governance, accountability, and alignment with institutional objectives while identifying opportunities for organizational and program growth;

2) Led the design and implementation of strategic planning processes, including development of organizational 3 year strategic plans, and fundraising strategies, results frameworks and risks assessments;

3) Conducted political analysis to inform organizational positioning, strategic direction, and program design in a complex post-conflict context.

4) Ensured alignment of program implementation with core principles of transitional justice and peacebuilding programming, including community participation, victim-centeredness, do no harm and gender equality.

5) Provided technical guidance in addressing organizational needs related to strategies and methodology employed, especially in domains of Advocacy, Outreach, and War Crimes Research and Legal Program;

6) Represented HLC in technical and political forums (on national and international level), in engagement with donors, and representing organization in media;

7) Conducted lectures and trainings on documenting human rights violations, transitional justice, peace and reconciliation in former Yugoslavia in various forums, including to representatives of civil society of South Sudan, Iraq and Ukraine.

Achievements

1) Development and facilitation of the process that led to Model Strategy for Prosecution of War Crimes in Serbia, which significantly informed and guided adoption of the Governments' Official Strategy for War Crimes Prosecution (as formally acknowledged in the Strategy)

2) As an initiator and member of the expert civil society working group, prepared a Model Law on reparations to victims of armed conflicts in the former Yugoslavia which reside in Serbia.

3) Production of documentary ’Depth 2’ about Serbian state-sponsored crimes against Kosovo Albanians based on the ICTY archive. The documentary was awarded with more than a dozen international film awards.

1) Program coordination and planning, internal and external reporting, fundraising and staff supervision;

2) Wrote and/or reviewed analytical reports and studies, publications, press releases and other visibility material;

3) Managed activities in relation to the legal support to victims of conflict-related human rights violations as well as advocacy efforts towards domestic and international actors aiming at redressing war victims;

4) Managed multi-donor and multi-year Kosovo Memory Book project, recognized as the most credible and
most comprehensive record of human losses in Kosovo war.

5) Coordinated research on human losses of Serbia and Montenegro in conflicts in
Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the research on the victims of the NATO campaign in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia;

6) Represented organization in conferences, workshops and meetings with government officials, international organizations, political delegations and donors.

Achievements

i) I successfully designed and facilitated process of advocacy leading to first program of collective reparations in the former Yugoslavia, adopted by the Government of Serbia in March 2012.

ii) Publication of the Kosovo Memory Book (Vol. 1) and online Registry of Human Losses in NATO bombardment of Serbia and Montenegro.

1) Managed EU-funded regional cross-border project related to strategic litigation cases for obtaining reparations on behalf of victims of war crimes during the Yugoslav conflict.
2) Monitored war crimes trials before specialized judicial institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.
3) Researched war crimes and human rights violations.